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Tennessee Basketball: 3 keys for Volunteers vs Colorado Buffaloes

By Bryan Mauro

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 07: Tennessee Volunteers warm up before their game against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Thompson-Boling Arena on November 07, 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 07: Tennessee Volunteers warm up before their game against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Thompson-Boling Arena on November 07, 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) /
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Zakai Zeigler Tennessee Basketball (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Zakai Zeigler Tennessee Basketball (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) /

Guards

There may not be a better set of guards in the entire SEC than what Tennessee currently has. Coach Barnes has done a fantastic job assembling talent in the backcourt. Tennessee currently has two players on the Naismith preseason watchlist and those same two players are on the preseason all-SEC teams.

Santiago Vescovi is one of those players and he is one of the best shooters in the country. The senior from Uruguay has found himself in some really big games for Tennessee and will continue to be at the center of everything that the Volunteers accomplish this season. Zakai Ziegler is the other player on both awards list. Ziegler is the shortest player in the SEC but one of the premier scorers in the game. He is the starting point guard for coach Barnes and is going to get the bulk of the shots in the offense.

The two starting guards are great but the first two guards off the bench in Indiana State transfer Tyreke Key and senior guard Josiah Jordan-James are going to make sure there is no drop-off in production from the first unit to the second unit. Key is also one of the best shooters in the country and he is also one of the oldest players in the country as well as he is a super senior after playing the last four years in the Valley. Jordan-James is a former top recruit who has never taken a ton of shots in the Volunteers’ offense but the ones he has taken he makes. He is another player who has some preseason honors and it was the third team all SEC for Jordan-James.

The guards are the ones who do all the heavy lifting for Tennessee; they are the focal point of every game plan that a coach creates for playing Tennessee. If they have a bad game the Volunteers are going to have a bad game. They need to have a good game and contribute their usual scoring output. Tennessee is also known for its great perimeter defense and all four of these guys are a huge part of that. Against Colorado expect these four guys to come out and play as they always have to hit threes, playing great defense, and carry Tennessee.

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